Former Trump Spiritual Advisor who was just indicted by Oklahoma Grand Jury for Lewd Acts with an Underage Girl
Also Trying to Get Fraud Charges Dismissed that were Brought against him by HIS OWN CONGREGATION after after he promised them a 100% MONEY BACK guarantee on their Tithes
And the Kicker...well telling your congregants they get 100% Money back guarantee on Tithes....well that just
Religious Freedom
Robert Morris lawyers ask court to dismiss tithe fraud suit, citing religious freedom
Lawyers for former Gateway Church pastor Robert Morris have asked a federal court to dismiss a
lawsuit filed last October that accused Morris of fraud and breach of contract connected to statements the pastor made about congregants’ tithes.
In a February filing, Morris’ attorneys argued that the lawsuit, filed by former members of Gateway, infringed on religious exemption protections. The Plano-based nonprofit First Liberty Institute supported Morris’ religious exemption claim in a December filing in the case.
Former members of Gateway Church filed the October lawsuit in a Texas district court and named as defendants Gateway Church, Morris and three of the church’s former elders. The lawsuit accused the church and its former leaders of misrepresenting how tithes, or donated percentages of a congregant’s income, would be used.
It also alleged that Morris gave congregants a “money back guarantee” on their tithes and was therefore obligated to pay tithes back to dissatisfied congregants.
The Dallas Morning News spoke with the office of the attorneys representing Morris and with an assistant for one of those attorneys and asked for comment, and also sent the attorneys a request for comment over email. The attorneys did not immediately respond.
The News reached out to attorneys representing the former Gateway members by phone and email and did not immediately receive a response.
Morris founded Southlake’s Gateway Church in 2000 and served as its senior pastor until last June.
That month, an Oklahoma woman alleged that Morris
sexually abused her from the ages of 12 to 17 in the 1980s.
Morris resigned from his role at the church four days after being publicly accused of child sexual abuse and has not responded to letters and at least five phone calls from
The News seeking comment.
In the February filing, Morris’ lawyers argued that Morris never entered into an “enforceable contract” with Gateway members wherein he would be required to give tithing money back to congregants.
The February filing also argued that the former members’ lawsuit did not have enough facts or details to support a plausible claim of fraud, and did not make a viable argument that congregants justifiably relied on a specific, enforceable “money back guarantee” when making their decisions about tithing.
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